Apparatus for packing cashew nuts



Sept. 3', 1929. T. M. RECTOR APPARATUS FOR PACKING CASHEW NUTS Filed Dec. 15, 1924 yam m 44:

Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS M. RECTOR, OF RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T VITAPACK COR- PORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR PACKING CASHEW NUTS.

Application filed December 18, 1934. Serial No. 755,642.

This invention relates particularly, though not exclusively, to the packing of cashew nuts, the general objects of the invention being to provide a commercially practical way for the preservation of various food products against the development of larvae, bacteria, rancidity, etc., and special objects being to effect the packin and preservation of the cashew nuts of ndia.

In the attainment of the foregoing and other desirable objects, certain novel features of structure are involved as will be clear from the following specification.

In the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specificatlon, a practical embodiment of apparatus for the practise of the invention is illustrated, but it should be understood that this illustration is primarily for purposes of disclosure and that the invention therefore is not limited to this par ticular form of apparatus. This will, in fact, be apparent from the scope of the appended claims broadly covering the invention.

Figure 1 in the illustration is a vertical sectional. view of the main portion of the exhausting and gas filling portion of the apparatus.

Figures 2 and 3 are broken sectional v1ews illustrating a modified form of sealing and hold-down device for the housing or bell of the treating chamber.

The cashew nut kernels are placed in containers=5 which can be sealed airtight, but before sealing, the container and contents are first subjected to a vacuumizing operation and the container is sealed after the contents has been submitted to the action of an inert gas following the vacuumizing step.

To-eflect these steps, the container, left unsealed, as by having the cover placed loosely thereon or by having a vent provided in the top, as indicated at 6, is placed within a chamber made up by a bell or housing 7 resting upon a base 8 with which it has sealing engagement. This base may be of vulcanized rubber, soft enough to form a self-sealing seat for the bell or cover but special provision is made to positively maintain this seal during the treatment period and the subsequent sealing of the container. In the form of the invention illustrated m Figure 1 the means forv this purpose comprises an annular chamber or channel 9 provided in the rim of the bell which opens to a vacuum connection 10. This vacuum connection is under control of a three-way valve 11 which can be turned to open up connection with. either the main vacuum line 12 or with a port 13 to atmosphere.

' The main vacuum line opens to the in terior of the bell by a connection 14 which is shown as controlled by a regulating valve 15 and as having connected therewith, a gas line 16 under control of a regulating valve 17. The suction creating device and the gas supply may be of any suitable design and the suction and gas supply may be alternately cut in and out by automatically operated valves as in the co-pending application of Dwight Tenney, Serial No. 525,957, as bymeans of automatically operated valves 18, 19, interposed in the vacuum and gas lines respectively.

The bell may be of a size to enclose one or a number of containers and is shown provided with a supporting rod 20 by which it may be readily handled.

In operation, after the bell is positioned on the base with the main suction connection open to the interior of the bell and the branch connection open to the groove in the rim of the bell, the valves in both such lines are opened so that both the bell and the groove will be evacuated. This evacuation period will vary under diiferent circumstances and after suflicient evacuation of the container and its contents, the valve controlling evacuation'of the bell is closed and the gas valve is opened to admitthe preservative gas to the interior of the bell. During admission of such gas, the suction on the groove is maintained so as to holdthe mouth of the bell firmly and positively sealed to its seat. This enables the bell to resist an lifting tendency experienced on the inruslz of the gas into the evacuated space and if there is any slight leakage of air in under the edge of the bell, this air is carried off Without reaching the interior of thevbell.

Furthermore, if there be any leakage be- I tween the groove and the inside of the bell,

then this gas is carried off in a way to prevent any leakage into the bell.

At the end of the required treatment, the container may be sealed by suitable means operating within the bell and the groove evacuating valve 11 may then. be operated to cut off the vacuum and open the groove to atmosphere by way of port 13. The bell can then be freely lifted and the container or containers removed and, if not already sealed, be sealed or otherwise treated.

If the valve mechanism 18, 19 is automatically operated to repeatedly intermittently subject the contents of the bell to suction and gas flow after the manner of the Tenney process referred to, then the evacuation of the groove will be maintained during such repeated treatments and will serve to produce in the end, a product which is free of all traces of air and subjected in even its most remote parts to the action of the as. The invention is adapted to any of the inert gases usually employed in preservative processes such as carbon dioxid, nitrogen and hydrogen, and further is of value for sealing purposes where no gases are employed and where only rarifioation and hermetic sealing are employed.

The cashew nut kernals sealed under the sterile preservative conditions made possible with this invention, remain fresh and sterile and are enabled to stand the long shipments necessary to transport them to their markets.

As an alternative to the construction described, the sealing of the bell may be effected in the manner illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 by inflating a hollow annular sealing gasket 21 within the sealing groove of the bell, this gasket being shown as mounted partly in a groove 22 in the base and the groove in the rim of the bell being shown as having undercut sides at 23 so that in filling the groove the gasket will interlock therewith and exert a force to draw the bell more firmly to its seat.

The inflatable gasket is shown provided with a suitable pressure supply connection 24 which is controlled by a suitable valve mechanism or the like to inflate the gasket 1 and hold the bell down, sealed to its seat,

while the treatment is going on and to defiate the gasket and release the bell after The inflatably sealed ring is suitably secured in its seat in the base so that it may exert the downward pulling force described and when in use as in Figure 3, it will be seen to provide in addition to the hold-down force, the efiect of a perfect seal across the joint between the bell and the base on which it rests.

In the collapsed or deflated condition shown in Figure 2, the ring serves as a guide can cooperate to form a closed chamber, one 7 of the members being formed With a groove,

.the othermember carrying a surface adapted to engage both sides of the groove to close the groove, a suction line connecting with the interior of the chamber, and a second suction line connecting with the groove and adapted to create sub-atmospheric pressure in the groove irrespective of pressure conditions in said chamber. 7

2. In apparatus of the character disclosed, a hollow member having an-open end and a sealing groove surrounding the open end, a base member adapted to engage the hollow member and to close the open end thereof and to close the sealing groove, a suction line connecting with the interior of the chamber, and a second suction line connecting with the groove and adapted to create subatmospheric pressure in the groove irrespective of pressure conditions in said chamber.

3. In apparatus of the character disclosed, cooperating base and cover elements form ing a chamber, one of said elements having a sealing groove opposed to the other element and means for controlling pressure conditions in said groove to eflect the sealing or release of said elements, one of the elements being movable relatively to the other with the groove located in the movable element and the pressure controlling means connected 'with the other element.

4. In apparatus of the character disclosed, cooperating base and cover elements forming a chamber, one of said elements having a sealing groove opposed to the other element and means for controlling pressure conditions in said groove to effect the sealing or release of said elements and including a suction creating source and valve means for se lectively establishing communication of the groove with said source and with the atmosphere. v

5. In apparatus of the character disclosed, a base having a resilient seat, a bell having a grooved rim engaging said seat and selec- .to the interior of the groove.

7 In apparatus of the character disclosed, a base, a bell having a sealing groove about the mouth of the same for cooperative relation to said base, air and gas connections to the interior of the bell, an air connection to the interior of the groove and means for se lectively controlling the air and gas connections to the interior of the bell and the sealing groove.

8. In apparatus of the character disclosed, a base, a bell cooperating therewith and provided with a sealing groove in the rim of the same, evacuating and gassupplying con- (F3 mi) nections to the interior of the bell and a suction connection open to the groove for carrying ofi leakage from inside the bell into the groove and from the outside into the groove and for holding the bell sealed to the base.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

THOMAS M. RECTOR. 

